The goal of the gaming industry is to increase interest of players and excitement of each game to keep the players playing longer, thereby generating more revenue for game operators, such as casinos. For this purpose, many gaming machines utilize light to enhance their displays and to attract the attention of the players. Many different kinds of illuminating devices have been developed for the gaming machines to further attract the player's interest.
The modern gaming industry is replete with different gaming machines, which allows players an opportunity to win money by placing a certain amount of money at risk. Typically, manufactures of the aforementioned gaming machines desire these machines to be attractive, amusing, and comfortable for the players. Various configurations of the gaming machines are currently known in the gaming industry and taught by U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,115 to Griswold et al.; and United States Patent Application Publication Nos. 2002/0173354 to Winans et al.; 2003/0130042 to Ollins; 2003/0195045 to Kaminkow et al.; 2004/0132522 to Seelig et al.; and 2004/0166927 to Okada.
The United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0195045 to Kaminkow et al., for example, teaches a gaming machine having a housing, which carries a screen. Internal activating lights, such as ultraviolet lights are disposed inside the housing to emit ultraviolet radiation. The ultraviolet lights of the gaming machine taught by the United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0195045 to Kaminkow et al. are not visible from the distance in order to attract attention of the player by distinguishing the game machine from other game machines located in the same area or the same row.
The United States Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0166927 to Okada, on the other hand, teaches a gaming machine having a cabinet defining an upper panel and a lower panel and a display device disposed therebetween. The display device includes a liquid crystal display device and backlights for backlighting the liquid crystal display device. The backlights are controlled so as to light when electric power is supplied and to help a player to identify the images displayed on the liquid crystal display device visually and clearly. A pair of illuminating lamps are attached to the upper decoration panel and the lower decoration panel. The illuminating lamps illuminate the symbols drawn on multiple reels both directly and indirectly via reflection plates connected to the decoration panel and the lower decoration panel. Similar to the United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0195045 to Kaminkow et al., the liquid crystal backlights and the illuminating lamps are not visible from the distance to attract attention of the player by distinguishing the game machine from other game machines located in the same area or the same row.
One of the problems not addressed by the aforementioned prior art references, is a long felt need that exists for an efficient and effective lighting system for reel-type gaming devices and cabinets of this gaming devices to attract attention of the players.
Accordingly, it is desirable to increase the entertainment and the excitement of the playing of the gaming machines by adding a large variety of attractions and attention getting devices to the respective machines.
The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems addressed above.